‘My main identity is British, not Nigerian’, — Kemi Badenoch reaffirms

UK Conservative Minister Kemi Badenoch has reaffirmed that she no longer identifies as Nigerian, despite her heritage and early years spent in the country.

Speaking during an appearance on GB News, a clip of which was shared on TikTok on Tuesday, Badenoch emphasised that her primary identity is British and called on political leaders to concentrate on issues affecting the UK.

Badenoch said:

“Well, I think that the BBC certainly wrote that headline. It wasn’t quite what I said, but it is true. My main identity is as British. That is what I see myself as.

“Nigeria is a nationality. It’s not an ethnicity. There’s no such language as Nigerian. There are lots of different ethnic groups there.

“I think that as a politician in this country, we need to be very focused on what is happening here, not what’s happening elsewhere. And every day, I see loads of Labour MPs in particular talking about every other country except the UK.

“If you come to this country, you need to be very focused on making sure that you integrate. And if you’re a politician, you need to be 100% focused on British issues. And that’s basically what I was saying.”

Badenoch’s clarification comes in response to reactions following her earlier comments on August 1 during the Rosebud podcast with Gyles Brandreth, where she revealed she had not renewed her Nigerian passport in over two decades and no longer identifies as Nigerian.

“I’m Nigerian through ancestry, by birth, despite not being born there because of my parents, but by identity I’m not really. I know the country very well, I have a lot of family there, and I’m very interested in what happens there,” Badenoch said.